Coffs Council Bruised in State Refusal

The land of the Big Banana is ripe for development but the NSW Government does not want a bite of it, it would seem. 

Coffs Harbour City Council offered the State Government two parcels of CBD land and $6.7 million in exchange for two other sites at the Jetty Foreshores. 

It included two city-owned blocks of land in the CBD where zoning permits buildings of up to 14 storeys, but ultimately the land swap deal was snubbed.

City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Paul Amos said it was the best place for affordable housing in the region and they were sick of this tug-of-war.

“We have decided to take this path as the city believes it is vital to retain the land in public ownership for the benefit of the community,” Amos said.  

“The state’s model for the land would see some of it carved off for private residential development and, given the prized waterfront nature of the location, there is no way that could be seen as affordable housing.”  

Council voted last July to support a compulsory acquisition process in principle and submitted the offer on October 31.

Following the swap council wanted to upgrade the land and create a public precinct and preserve the space for future recreation.

However, the NSW Minister for Lands and Property’s rejection of the bid put the disused railway land at the jetty back on the city agenda.

The Urban Developer reached out to the minister, Stephen Kamper, but he did not respond by the time of publication. 

▲ The site is surrounded by holiday apartments and located north of Coffs Harbour Jetty.

In other developments around the region, Core Development wants to build an 80 apartment complex near the beach about 2km north of the jetty.

The long-flat residential development would replace an older two-storey apartment building at 69-73 Ocean Parade, Coffs Harbour.

Stewart Architecture designed the two seven-storey buildings for the 3055sq m space with 131 parking spaces and a combination across two seven-storey buildings.

The Canberra-based developer filed the plans with an estimated cost at $29.962 million, just shy of the $30-million state significant application threshold.

Around the corner at 6 Prince Street plans for another seven-storey building at a cost of $26 million were also lodged with the council this week.

▲ The seniors housing would match other buildings in the area and both development applications are within the Park Beach Urban Renewal Area.

The seniors housing from Munmorah Lake Pty Ltd led by Richard Stanton included 25 independent living units with two bedrooms each.

This design was similar to a 40-apartment development approved in 2021 that was set to lapse in 2026. A series of tourist cabins currently occupy the 1827sq m site.

The design by Vibe Architects shows two lift shafts, a podium, 32 parking spaces, gym, pool and external terraces.